Apple has tapped up a number of component manufacturers and is all set to release its version of a connected TV by the end of 2012, according to US analyst Gene Munster.

There has been much rumour and speculation about Apple iTV for some years now, but Munster – who works for analyst firm Piper Jaffray – believes that he has concrete evidence that an Apple-branded television will launch in 2012, because he has been speaking to a number of component manufacturers that claim to have been tapped up by Cook and co.

According to CNN, Munster told clients this week that Apple iTV was going to be the next big thing for Apple and that it is set to reinvent the concept of connected TV.

“We believe that Apple only enters mature markets with the goal of revolutionizing them, as it did with the smartphone,” Munster explained.

Reinventing the TV

He then went on to note that an Apple iTV 2012 release date was on the cards and that he has been in contact with a “major TV component supplier” about Apple iTV going into production.

When it comes to Apple reinventing the television market, Munster believes that this will be done in three ways: by offering pay-as-you-go premium content, combining regular TV channels with web-infused content and offering a unique discovery engine.

While TechRadar doesn’t believe that these things are revolutionary – all of the above are already offered by Virgin and TV manufacturers through their connected setups – if there’s one company which can get the major players on board for a connected TV experience it is Apple.

Munster has a track record of getting his Apple iTV predictions wrong – he did predict that a TV would land back in 2011 – but there have been more rumours about Apple iTV launching in 2012 than any other year, so we are pegging this one as Quite Likely.